Here we are in May and I have absolutely no fishing plans. Actually, I do have plans but have no intention of carrying them out amid this global health challenge. Since November last year, I have not been out fishing at all – well, I went up to Silver Creek and met Lee Lynch one day, but my heart wasn’t really in it. Lee managed to hang a few but I slept a lot. It was good to get out of the house though.
I did get invited on a trip to Grand Canyon to hike into and fish Tapeats Creek, but I have opted out. We are still practicing a fairly strict isolation protocol and leaving my wife at home to deal with that by herself seems unfair. In addition, I’d be driving myself to the trailhead and outfitting completely independent of my hiking mates – Chris Rich and friends.
I’ve done this trip before and normally we would share the load of water filter, stove, food, etc… but that would not be possible this trip.
The fishing on Tapeats Creek is pretty good. The fish are plentiful, if small, and eager to eat. Plus, the setting is awesome!
I’ve also been invited on an extended float trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho launching June 24. Apparently, the Forest Service is beginning to release permits and we have until June 1 to decide whether we are going or not. If not, we can opt to defer to the same date next year, which is my preferred alternative – wait until next year.
The MF Salmon is a full on whitewater experience with about 100 miles of nearly continuous Class II, Class III, and Class IV rapids. The cutthroat fishing is reportedly very good. If it is anything like the South Fork of the Flathead River in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana (see previous trip reports), the fish are not selective, so just about any dry fly will produce. I’ve been applying for a permit on this river for 20 years and have never been drawn, so if the permit holders (Susan Brown and Keith Burdette) opt to go this year, it will be a very tough decision either way. I’m hoping to convince them to defer.
My trip mates, in addition to Keith and Susan, are Rick Allen and Greg Burdulis (kayaker extraordinaire). The set up would be 4 people and 2 boats, and one kayaker. Pretty optimal in terms of safety and keeping trip size to a minimum.
One other possibility for the summer once things open up a bit is for Rick Allen and me to drive up to Great Basin National Park and backpack into a lake there that holds Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, similar to the fish in Pyramid Lake (see previous trip report). This is probably the most likely trip of the three to actually happen. We don’t have dates for this yet, but it would most likely be in mid-July.
With all this down time, I have planted a vegetable garden, made improvements on the house, and upgraded some tools in the woodshop. I’ve not tied any flies, but this would be a perfect time to get a rod order in. I can virtually drop everything and complete your rod build fairly quickly, as I have no rods currently on the bench. Together, we can select a blank to fit your fishing/casting style and your budget. I charge a flat fee for my labor (it’s the same amount of work to build on a high end blank as it is on the very cheapest blank). The cost differential is determined by the price of the blank and the components we select together. If interested, contact me. My contact information is listed elsewhere on this website.